Craftsman Cottages in the Northwest

Located on a historic logging site in the heart of the master-planned resort community of Port Ludlow, Wash., Ludlow Cove Cottages offers waterfront, woodland and park-front home sites to bring out the vacationer in each of us. Designed to suit both full-time and vacation lifestyles, the 42 single-family, cottage style homes by Westharbor Homes create an easy-living environment for homeowners.

According to Cliff O’Brien Construction Manager at Westharbor Homes is a fullservice general contractor specializing in new construction neighborhoods, custom homes and remodels. The development of the community began in January 2014 and the homes are currently under ongoing construction with plans to be completely built-out by late 2016. Currently, there are five homes built and nine homes sold. According to Cliff O’Brien, construction manager at Westharbor Homes, the site was selected due to the waterfront (both high and low bank) building opportunities. O’Brien said, “This community sets the standard for all other homes that we will be building in the Port Ludlow area. We want to be regarded as an innovative and quality-driven builder that customers can count on to create a home that they can be proud of.”

With five open-concept floor plans ranging from 1,489 to 2,183 square feet with one- and two-story options, the price of the homes start in the upper $300s. Each cottage-style home boasts custom details such as craftsman accents, shaker cabinets, stainless appliances, designer paints and high-end fixtures and finishes. Inviting front porches, charming back patios and picturesque views inspire outdoor living that’s unique to the Northwest.

Ludlow Cove Cottages is lucky to have found a partner in Union Studio Architecture & Community Design firm located out of Rhode Island. “Union Studio brings together the traditional neighborhood feel withawardwinning architecture and design that meets the needs of the local market,” stated O’Brien. He continued, “Union Studio has perfected the art of ‘production housing’ and works closely with the local development team to design base templates that are combined with an assortment of interior and exterior design alternatives and add-ons to give each home a personalized feel within the neighborhood. This allows cost-effective, efficient developments that are in line with local preferences.”

Additionally, according to O’Brien, all of the homes are designed with aging-in-place in mind. “Our team did our best to include a high level of finish on our standard features that are included with the home. There are very few standard upgrades,” he said. The floor plans allow great accessibility with wider doorways to accommodate wheelchair access. There is also more space between the kitchen islands and cabinets to allow for better circulation in the kitchen, taller optional washer and dryer units to keep bending to a minimum and all entrances are equipped with optional ramps as needed for accessibility.

In order to provide homeowners with a more custom feel, the challenge for the builder was to find a product that worked on each lot size. O’Brien explained, “We knew that we wanted homes in the 1,400 to 2,000-square-foot range, but wanted to be sure that they were unique in shape and style.” With the collaboration with Union Studio, the challenge was accomplished by incorporating a distinctive design with each floor plan. “We wanted residents to build a community that was social and beautiful. Residents can engage from the deep front porches. Another focus for us was to build a four-sided home— homes that are attractive from all four-sides,” said O’Brien.

Along with the significant design elements of these homes includes energy-efficient components as well. Dual pane low-E vinyl windows, pervious paver driveways and flatwork, Energy Star ductless heat pump, Energy Star kitchen appliances and LED lighting, each contribute to the homes environmentally-friendly features. O’Brien explained, “We are using advanced framing techniques to reduce the amount of lumber that we use and increase the amount of insulation that goes into our homes. We are using permeable pavers for the driveways and flatwork.”

With detailed design techniques, innovative energy-efficient elements and a waterfront location, it’s no surprise Ludlow Cove Cottages was recently awarded with the Gold Nugget Grand Award for Best Single-Family Detached Home (under 2,000 square feet.) The Grand Award honors architectural design and planning excellence and draws entries from throughout the United States and internationally.

As the judges’ statement read, “This home packs a lot of punch in less than 2,000 square feet. The colors and materials of this beautifully designed cottage home fits perfectly in its woodland surroundings. The detached garage pushed back off the street helps emphasize the spacious outdoor deck spaces that take advantage of water views. Carefully thought out main floor master floor plan flows incredibly well and feels very spacious. The white and gray color palette provides an elegant overall feel and the main living spaces provide excellent views of the water. This home delivers a ‘custom’ feel in a small package.”

And in the current state of the housing market, marketing resort-style homes in the Northwest is anything but a challenge for builders. O’Brien stated, “We have the benefit of the resort amenities—a golf course, marina, boutique inn, award-winning dining and a variation of activities in the community. In addition, [the community is] only 90 minutes from Seattle, which makes it an easy escape from the busy city life to a place where people can unplug for a while.”

Delivering excellence within Ludlow Cove Cottages is not the only project Westharbor Homes has planned in the near future. According to O’Brien, the builder is starting the building processes of a new medical facility in the community. He explained, “A multi-use medical clinic will be a great addition to the community.

In addition, we are looking at a few different plats to build our next development. Like Ludlow Cove Cottages, the new neighborhood will also embrace the social living concept.”

With resort-style amenities at an aestheticallyappealing location, Ludlow Cove Cottages embodies the meaning of “easy-living.” The award-winning community sets the bar for creating homes with a custom feel to deliver individuality into each home.

Carina Calhoun is the Editor-at-Large for Builder and Developer. She may be reached atccarina@penpubinc.com.